Ted Nugent sounds off on 'haters,' New Haven protests

Rocker Ted Nugent launched a volley of invective at local protesters and the New Haven Register during an interview on the nationally syndicated "The Weekend," show broacast Saturday on a Maine radio station.

Anyone anticipating some wild remarks from the Motor City Madman was not disappointed by his interview broadcast on WGAN.

Advertisement

Nugent's planned Tuesday concert at Toad's Place in New Haven has drawn protests from area residents who took issue with Nugent's recent comments on race in America. There has been a petition drive calling for the cancellation of the show, and protests are expected outside Toad's during the show.

In the interview, broadcast nationwide, Nugent alluded to New Haven Register editorial writers and their supporters as "subhuman numb-nuts." A recent Register editorial denounced Nugent's statements on race and called for Toad's to cancel the show.

When asked about the "idiots" in Connecticut who think he "shouldn't play rock and roll," Nugent told the conservative host: "You and I stand on the line of reason" and must not be silenced.

"People who hate Ted Nugent hate freedom," he said, and promised to continue to speak what he sees as the truth.

Nugent also had some choice things to say about liberals, racial activists and Trayvon Martin during the interview.

Defending his previous comments about blacks and crime, Nugent insisted the statistics bear him out.

Of the Trayvon Martin case, Nugent said, "Trayvon got justice." He went on to say that Martin was a "gangsta wannabe" who had a "bloodthirst," as evidenced by the fact that he was supposedly eager to "get into fights with people." He said Martin showed racism in calling George Zimmerman a "cracka."

Barbara Fair, a West Haven resident heavily involved in the petition drive, said she first became aware of the show after her daughter told her about comments Nugent had made regarding Martin.

While Fair said Nugent has the right to free speech, "he has to agree that we have a right to protest."

Nugent said Zimmerman got only a "sliver of justice." Although Zimmerman was found not guilty, powerful people from President Barack Obama to Attorney General Eric Holder have targeted him, as have "Holder's best friends," the New Black Panthers. Nugent implied the president and Holder are trying to subvert the legitimate verdict in the case.

"It pains me deeply" to have to acknowledge that the president and some others in the administration are "just bad people," Nugent said. He said he had hoped to be able to speak better of the country's top officials.

James E. Rawlings, president of the Greater New Haven branch of the NAACP, said Nugent's comments Saturday did not merit a response.

"The Ted Nugents of the world are the most extreme," Rawlings said, noting that, "We will be there Tuesday."

Rawlings said, "We will deal with this as a community and come together. The sooner Mr. Nugent is out of our community, the better off we'll be."

Fair said Nugent's recent statements show "he's being more ridiculous than he's already been."

She said the protest is in response to Nugent's outsized voice in the political sphere. Fair said the protest isn't about Nugent's music or even his personal political views, but what he says on the national stage.

Nugent said his "humor meter" keeps him in good spirits, despite his detractors.

Asked about his family, Nugent said his is a "really good American family" because members are productive and "don't take" but "give" to society.

"Liberals" and "racists" have targeted Nugent's children, the rocker claimed, because political opponents are "mad" at him for "exposing the truth" about the Martin case and other issues.

Nugent said his children should be off-limits, and said his own whereabouts could always be tracked at Tednugent.com. He rattled off a list of people who might want to protest his appearances, including the Revs. Jesse Jackson and Al "Not-too-Sharpton."

As a parting shot, the controversial musician told those he considers "haters" to "kiss my ass."

In a previous version of this story, it was stated that WGAN interviewed Nugent when they simply aired the program that is nationally syndicated.